The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1887-08-31
HE WAS ONCE HANGED.
'"rN"t"uS Escape OF Negro From IL
Death on the Gal!ows.
CFrom the Worcester TclcgramN

IcStcTuuy hltcruOOn COlOrCQ man
was taken i'll on tho common, and would
have fallen but for the timely assistance
of two bystanders. The man had been
wandering about tho common since
morning, and had been noticed on ac-
count OF the peculiar way in which lac
carried his head. 1t hung toward his
right shoulder, and he seemed to take
no pains to pull it into the position in
| winch people commonly carry their
heads. He was respectfully dressed in
clothes that had evidently not been
made for him, and his boots looked as if
he had walked a considerable distance.
When he had been assisted to Il scat
he tainted, and when he rcguiucd con.
sciousness he clutchcd at his throat,
tore away his collar and said appealing
! ly, "No, No, My God! Not againw His
embarrassment when he looked about
him WAS marked. One OF the gentlemen
who had assisted him to a seat left when
the colored man had recovered, but the
other remained and questioned him as
| soon as he had recovered his Composire.
lie did not belong i'll Worcester he
SAID, and he had mover been here before.
| He had walked from New IIayeu, Dcg-
| ging shelter and food rs he won't. and
had only got TO this city in the carly
morning. He had no friends and be
said he was not able to work. The man
| seemed weak and iiurncd by his faintnsss
anu tue humane person who had
remained by his side took him to Il res
tauront and saw him properly fed. 1t
was III a burst of gratitude ard conf
dcncc at being so well treated that the
colorcd man told tale 80 utterly mar
vclous as to be utterly unworthy Cf
crcdcncc were it not corroborttod by
known facts.
1t was sitting in the common after he
had dincd that he said: 81 have had
trouble with my neck and been subject
to lainting spells ever since | was hanged
i'll Arkansas"
The expression was startling enough
to make anyone think the man WAS
crazy; but he was circumstantlal as to
details OF tlmc and place, and it is II we'll
known fact that negro was legally
hanged three years ago i'll Arkansas Tor
assault on white woman and afterwards
recovered consciousness.
The case attracted much attention at
the time. As published the negro was
suspended for 20 minutes after tue drop
ot the old fashioned platform Sallows
lei' "n't the BODY %ua given ~ the svcriii
vitl, snm,r fr;cnl. ,r,S NINA ~,
Mn, tl,n ,,,,n, ,,..,. ~
a,lir lin t1 III, ,otfIo,,t,t ,,I,'.., l,o ,D
fn,,,n,l,, Ey,1 o,,l h,,I. '',,'' ,I.',, ,,,';
s,tti.,3Int ,y,, ,siIn. g.,,,,, ~,
seat, ut Which the hanging took place,
and was through Il lonely piece Of cuun-
try When the wagon WaS nearly ut
and his fri"nI. u,,, .toytInt I,,. nr' l'"'
comiuo, from ,,r,lnr rthnt,n,,n,,I;,J r.,
nvrr no runnr.,I IcoT imnm o,I I,i,
rJIrs tn Gnt irnm unIrr II ~ .n~nn ~
ns tGnv Ind Trroyrrr,I frnm thcir rr;,lt
fbov wnnt Incl tn tLn uno,,, rr1,,,
witch thnv LoI ia aui 21nI,ol IN, ,I,n,
IcroIjy droI man nm oovn linn = L,;,,I.
rom tbr o,nmimrcsnrt2 inc, nf whisl.Wnm'I
tonk him homH nst1nI of Irnyr,I M ,'',
settlement NJ nnr. thr Lon~ai ,,,,
STAYED arounI his old home ana ,,n
su,I,r,tiiinus cnIrr.J r.n,In dn,n,,,t"l
his rcorrcst md thn romi,Intinn ~ ,I,n
banuiun Thn case woq toknn tn ~
1oycrn0r and nrndino Jisrmssinn no in
tho riobt of ihr nnihnritinn ~ INK
corniyonrc az thr nyistnncn nf - c,n,.;nt
WHO hal been pronounced lr1ollv Jn,S
the man fled and has been q wapjrrrr
gNtr Slnpp.
The story Of the ncero cojncidcJ with
the case MS recalled, and thnrc was mn NM
room to doubt that he rc,Ilv wns thc
Arkansas cnlrrit
Il was onIy after rcprotcd uroinp
swccteucd WITH PROMISED Of hclntm iraS"
tho citv in comfort thot Ln trII ~
story in the dialect of n southern field
hand, somewhat tempered bv residnncr
in the North. Diyastcd Of its nInint
dialect. MS tale is weirdly and prrLmns
morbidly intcrestinp,
81 was locked np" he said ,.morn
than six months, bmt | never tbounht
was going to be hanged until thc Hi~bt
before. Then knew tho pallows Wns
up and rot scared. Thcv Irnrrd with
me all the time and tried to keen me
from thinking of it, but didn't hear what
they prayed about, was TOO nyci,ni
| didn't 20 to sleep all tho night before,
and when they came to fetch me | was
SO weak | couldn't stand mp. ria